Iowa, 2007

Flooding in Iowa, October 18 to 24, 2007

October 18 to 24, 2007 · NWS DMX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Very wet weather prevailed for the first 18 days of the month. 25 inches of rain was recorded at New Hampton.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$20,000
Crop damage
$20,000
Events
2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS DMX wrote it up.

Very wet weather prevailed for the first 18 days of the month. The month began with a heavy rain event on the 2nd when 2.25 inches of rain was recorded at New Hampton. Another round occurred on the 7th-8th with the heaviest rainfall being a 5.57 inch total at Edgewood. This primed the pump so to speak for future flooding. On the 13th-15th, heavy rain left a 4.60 inch total at Adair. Then on the 17th-18th, another round of heavy rain produced 3.20 inches at Bloomfield. The frequent heavy rains brought harvest activities to a halt following a rapid start to the harvest season in September. A sharp turnaround took place after mid month with an average of only 0.03 inches of rain for the final 12 days of October. Preliminary monthly rain totals vary from 2.08 inches at Burlington to 11.26 inches at Red Oak. Red Oak’s total more than doubled their previous October record of 5.88 inches set in 1935 (among 96 years of data).

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Des Moines, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 18, 5:55 PM CST, 3 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 18, 5:55 PM CST, 3 hours 35 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Emmet

When
October 18, 9:30 PM CST to October 22, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Emmet County, 5.43 mi NW of Estherville to 0.1 mi W of Huntington
Cause
Heavy Rain
Property damage
$10,000
Crop damage
$10,000
Reported by
Official NWS Observations
Coordinates
43.484, -94.912

Flood, Humboldt

When
October 19, 4:15 AM CST to October 24, 10:15 PM CST
Where
Humboldt County, 1.18 mi NE of Bradgate to 1.75 mi N of Rutland
Cause
Heavy Rain
Property damage
$10,000
Crop damage
$10,000
Reported by
Official NWS Observations
Coordinates
42.813, -94.404

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Iowa in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, October 2007

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 60059, 60058.